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There are over 700 different Chinese family names, but as few as twenty cover a majority of Chinese people. The variety in Chinese names therefore depends greatly on given names rather than family names. The great majority of Chinese family names have only one character, but there are a few with two.
Chinese family names are written first, something which often causes confusion among those from cultures where the family name usually comes last. Thus, the family name of Mao Zedong is Mao (毛), and his given name is Zedong (澤東, 泽东).
Chinese married women usually retain their maiden name as their family name, rather than adopt the name of their husband, and children usually inherit the father's family name. It is often considered taboo to marry someone with the same family name, even if there is no direct relationship between those concerned.
For more information, see Chinese family name.
Chinese given names have one or two characters, and are written after the family name. When a baby is first born parents often give it a "little name," such as Little Treasure (小寶, 小宝). The given name is then chosen somewhat later, although the parents may continue to use the nickname.
With a limited supply of family names, Chinese depend on using given names to introduce variety in naming. Almost any character with any meaning can be used. However, it is not considered appropriate to name a child after someone else, whether a family member or a famous figure.
Given names resonant of qualities which are perceived to be either masculine or feminine are frequently given, with males being linked with strength and firmness, and females with beauty and flowers. Females sometimes have names which repeat a character, for example Xiuxiu (秀秀) or Lili (麗麗, 丽丽). This is less common in males, although Yoyo Ma (馬友友, 马友友) is a well-known exception.
In some families, one of the two characters in the personal name is shared by all members of a generation and these generational names are worked out long in advance. Also, siblings' names are frequently related, for example, a boy may be named pine (松, considered masculine) while his sister may be named plum (梅, considered feminine).
Chinese personal names also may reflect periods of history. For example, many Chinese born during the Cultural Revolution have "revolutionary names" such as strong country (強国) or eastern wind (东风). In Taiwan, it used to be common to incorporate one of the four characters of the name " Republic of China" (中華民國) into boys' names.
For more information, see Chinese given name.
In former times, it was common for educated males to acquire courtesy namesA Chinese courtesy name sometimes also known as a style name was a pseudonym that was used in place of a given name by educated Chinese up until the 20th century. These kind of names are no longer in fashion today. There were two common forms of courtesy. The two most common forms were a zi (字), given upon reaching maturity, and a hao (號), usually self-selected and often somewhat whimsical. Although this tradition has lapsed, authors' use of pen nameA pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. Nom de plume is a French-language expression. Allonym is another synonym for pseudonym. Some authors take on pen names to conceal their identity: for example the Brontes, who felt they woulds is still a common phenomenon. For more information, see Chinese courtesy nameA Chinese courtesy name sometimes also known as a style name was a pseudonym that was used in place of a given name by educated Chinese up until the 20th century. These kind of names are no longer in fashion today. There were two common forms of courtesy.
For prominent people, posthumous nameA posthumous name (/ Pinyin: shi hao; Romaji: shigo/tsuigo; Revised Romanization of Korean: siho) is a honorary name given to royalty in some cultures posthumously, that is, after the person's death. The posthumous name is commonly used when naming most Cs (諡號, 諡号) have often been given, although this is uncommon now. Sun Yat-senSun Yat-sen ( November 12, 1866 March 12, 1925) was a Chinese revolutionary leader and statesman. He had a significant influence in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and establishment of the Republic of China. A founder of the Kuomintang, Sun was the firs was given the posthumous name of Guófù (國父, Father of the Nation), the name by which he is most frequently known by in Taiwan. Rulers were also ascribed temple names (廟號, 廟号).